John Swann, owner of Katuah Market, stacks apples in the fresh foods isle. The store worked for several months to meet city regulations to open.

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City Manager Gary Jackson knew he had a problem when he took the job nine years ago.

Contractors were getting tied into knots trying to get building projects through City Hall. The city required as many as 11 copies of an application, which were then sent off to multiple departments for review. Builders followed that paperwork through a maze of regulators.

The city, under Jackson's direction, has since tried to streamline the process, putting most employees builders deal with under one roof and automating much of the permitting process. A new city department to handle those tasks was formed ...